Surgical breast pad



Oct. 18, 1966 A. SILVERMAN SURGICAL BREAST PAD Filed Jan. 28, 1 965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ABE SILVERMA/V BY Qc Oct. 18, 1966 A; S ILVERMAN SURGICAL BREAST PAD a Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan. 28, 1965 INVENTOR.

ABE SILVERMA/V Oct. 18, 1966 AVSILVERMAN SURGICAL BREAST PAD 5 Shee ts-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 28, 1965 arlxamw m, 34 INVENTOR.

ABE S/LVEHMAN United States Patent 3,278,947 SURGICAL BREAST PAD Abe Silverman, Chicago, 11]., assignor to Silveco Rubber Products, Inc., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 428,670 Claims. (Cl. 3-36) This invention relates to a surgical breat pad.

Surgical breast pads have been known and used heretofore and among these is the surgical breast pad disclosed in applicants earlier Patent No. 2,482,297 granted September 20, 1949.

However, a number of problems have arisen heretofore in the use of surgical breast pads and among these has been the problem of making a surgical breast pad which is relatively light, porous, flexible, resilient, readily washable, and neat .and attractive in appearance.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved surgical breast pad which is relatively light, porous, flexible, readily washable and neat and attractive in appearance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved surgical breast pad which, in one form thereof has added weight for the purpose of imparting to the wearer a feeling of some weight comparable to or psychologically remindful or suggestive of the weight of the breast which has been surgically removed, while still being porous, flexible, readily washable and neat and attractive in appearance.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the new surgical breast pad;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view on line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the conical insert unit which is embodied in the form of the new surgical breast pad shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, but showing the front portion of the casing removed;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the component parts of the new surgical breast pad shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive;

FIG. 7 is a central vertical sectional view showing a preferred form of the new surgical breast pad;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view showing, in assembled form, the conical insert unit embodied in the form of the surgical breast pad shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the conical insert member shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the insert member shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a central vertical sectional view of another modification of the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a plan view of one of the parts embodied in the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 11.

One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, of the drawings, and is therein generally indicated at 10, and comprises a casing 11, which is made of light weight, porous, flexible, synthetic fiber material and for this purpose I have found that a material known as high loft bonded polyester fiber is admirably suited. The casing 11 includes an outer or front casing unit 12 which embodies a relatively small and generally triangular shaped portion 13 and a second and larger portion 14 which includes a main body section 15 and a laterally extending tongue portion 16.

The casing 11 also includes an inner section 17, which includes a main body portion 18 and a laterally extending tongue portion 19.

The new surgical breast pad shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, also includes a conical-shaped insert unit, which is generally indicated at 22, and which includes three disc-shaped insert members 23, 24, 25 of varying diameter, which are superimposed one upon the other, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, with the disc-shaped members 23, 24 and 25. The three disc-shaped insert members 2324- 25 are preferably formed of a lightweight, porous, flexible, resilient and washable synthetic plastic resinous material and this purpose I have found that a foamed plastic in the form of urethane or polyurethane to be admirably suited.

In the practice of the present invention the component parts 13-14-15-16 of the outer or front casing unit 12 are stitched together along a seam line 20 and the disc-shaped insert members 23-24-25 are then inserted upon the body portion 18 of the inner casing section 17 so as to provide a conical-shaped insert 22, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The surgical breast pad is then completed by stitching the outer or front casing section 12 to the inner casing section 17, along the seam line 21, thereby completing the assembly of the new surgical breast pad.

The new surgical breast pad, thus constructed, is adapted to be fitted within the breast cup of a brassiere and when so arranged provides .a conical-shaped substitute breast body portion C which is adapted to fill out the brassiere cup, so as to simulate the body of the breast which has been surgically removed. The new surgical breast pad 10 also provides a tongue portion T which is adapted to extend along and to fit into that area of the body of the wearer which is below the underarm and from which tissue has been removed surgically as an incident to the removal of the breast. This tongue portion T conforms to :the underarm curvature of the body when under pressure of the brassiere. 1

It has been found that, in use, the new surgical breast pad is light, porous, flexible and readily washable, and neat and attractive in appearance.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10, inclusive, of the drawings, and those parts thereof which are similar to, or which correspond to, corresponding parts in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, of the drawings, have been given the same reference numerals followed by the additional and distinguishing reference character a.

The preferred form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10, inclusive, of the drawings, differs from that shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, in that, in this instance, the conical-shaped insert member, which is generally indicated at 26, is formed of a single piece 27 of foamed plastic in the form of urethane or polyurethane, which is generally disc-shaped in form but has a cut-out area providing intersecting marginal edge portions 29 and 30. In the assembly of the form of the new surgical breast pad shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, inclusive, the body 27 of foamed plastic urethane or polyurethane material is adhesively or otherwise joined along its intersecting marginal edge portions 29 and 30, to form a seam line 31, thereby providing a conical-shaped insert member C-A, the body of which has 'a radially inner marginal edge portion 33 and a radially outer marginal edge portion 32.

In assembling the form of the new surgical breast pad shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, inclusive, the conical-shaped member 27, after being assembled as shown, is inserted in position of use upon the inner fabric unit 17a-19a and between the latter and the outer fabric casing unit 12a-14a-16a to provide the desired conical-shaped body to simulate the form and shape of the surgically removed breast.

Another modification of one aspect of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 of the drawings, and those parts in this form of the invention which are similar to or comparable to corresponding parts in the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, or to parts embodied in the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, inclusive, of the drawings, have been given the same reference numerals followed by the additional and distinguishing reference character b.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 of the drawings is substantially similar to that shown in FIGS. 7 'to 10, inclusive, of the drawings, but difiers therefrom in that in this form of the invention an auxiliary supporting sheet 34 of foamed plastic in the form of urethane or polyurethane, which is disc-shaped in form (FIG. 12) is inserted into and arched upwardly within the body of the conical-shaped insert member 26b, and thereby cooperates with the conical-shaped insert member 26b to provide a pocket 36. Suitable weight means, in the form of a body of lead pellets 35, or like weight means, is inserted and retainedinto the pocket 36 which is formed between the conical-shaped insert member 26b and the arched-shaped supporting member 34.

The form of the invention in FIGS. 11 and 12 of the drawings has the additional desirable advantage of giving the wearer a sense of some weight in wearing the new surgical breast pad so as to simulate or to be psychologically remindful or suggestive of the weight of the surgically removed breast.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, that the present invention provides a new and improved surgical breast pad having the desirable advantages and characteristics, and accomplishing its intended objects, including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention.

I claim:

1. A surgical breast pad adapted to be worn inside a brassiere by women who have had a breast removed surgically, including a substantially conical substitute breast body portion adapted to fit into and be worn inside the breast cup of a brassiere, and including a laterally projecting tongue portion formed as an integral extension of the said body portion and adapted to fit that area of the body of the wearer which is below the underarm and from which tissue has been removed as an incident to the removal of the breast, the said surgicalbreast pad being the said generally conical-shaped substitute breast body portion is formed of a series of generally disc-shaped members of varying diameters superimposed one'upon the other.

3. A surgical breast padas defined in claim 1 in which the said substitute breast body portion is formed of a single sheet of foamed plastic material cut, shaped and assembled into a generally conical-shaped form.

4. A surgical breast pad as defined in claim 1 in which the said substitute breast body portion is formed of a single sheet of polyurethane resin material cut shaped and assembled into a generally conical-shaped form, and in which the said surgical breast pad includes means within the said casing cooperating with the said single sheet of foamed plastic material to provide a pocket, and in which weight means is arranged in the said pocket.

5. A surgical breast pad as defined in claim 1 in which the said substitute breast body portion is formed of, a single sheet of foamed plastic material cut shaped and 1 assembled into a generally conical-shaped form, and in which the said surgical breast pad includes an auxiliary 7 sheet of polyurethane resin arranged within the said casing and cooperating with the said single sheet of foamed plastic material to provide a pocket, and weight means in the form of lead pellets in the said pocket.

References Cited by-the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,181,536 5/1965 Cannata; 128-481; 3,196,464 7/1965 McKee 336 FOREIGN PATENTS 487,367 5/1938 Great Britain.

ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SURGICAL BREAST PAD ADAPTED TO BE WORN INSIDE A BRASSIERE BY WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD A BREAST REMOVE SURGICALLY, INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONICAL SUBSTITUTE BREAST BODY PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT INTO AND BE WORN INSIDE THE BREAST CUP OF A BRASSIERE, AND INCLUDING A LATERALLY PROJECTING TONGUE PORTION FORMED AS AN INTEGRAL EXTENSION OF THE SAID BODY PORTION AND ADAPTED TO FIT THAT AREA OF THE BODY OF THE WEARER WHICH IS BELOW THE UNDERARM AND FROM WHICH TISSUE HAS BEEN REMOVED AS AN INCIDENT TO THE REMOVAL OF THE BREAST, THE SAID SURGICAL BREAT PAD BEING FORMED OF AN OUTER CASING LIGHTWEIGHT, POROUS, FLEXIBLE RESILIENT AND WASHABLE HIGH-LOFT BONDED POLYESTER FIBER HAVING THEREIN A GENERALLY CONICAL-SHAPED SUBSTITUTED BREAST BODY PORTION FORMED OF LIGHT WEIGHT, POROUS, FEXIBLE, RESILIENT AND WASHABLE FOAMED PLASTIC MATERIAL. 